A Beautiful Christmas Morning

                                                             
Many of you know I have been struggling with how to make Christmas less about toys and more about Christ and family and generosity. Today was our Christmas.  We decided to celebrate early.   I think Michael and I did a good job balancing our values and beliefs with tradition this year.  We emphasized the reason for Christmas by making a birthday cake, reading the nativity story, doing crafts, and acting out the story of Christ's birth.  We also allowed Clark to ask questions about Santa and do some Santa stuff without compromising.  We will reevaluate for next year, but today was a beautiful Christmas morning.

In the morning, the boys woke up super early filled with excitement.  They enjoyed their three gifts from us and one from Santa!  Then we had a yummy breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls and jalapeno sausage rolls (I tried to copy Max's Doughnuts from Allen, TX).

The huge bouncy horse was a last minute surprise for all of us.  Last night, we got the horse for free!!  They loved the horse and the garage sale gifts more than their other store bought gifts"!  That is a good thing since we try to be thrifty. 

 

Here the boys are digging in their stocking to find flashlights and airplanes!

The Christmas Miracle

 Michael and I usually don't do gifts for each other at Christmas.  If we do, it's something to replace something broken.  This year, I got sneaky and surprised him.  I put back some extra money I made from babysitting and bought him a Wii!!!  He's been wanting one for years denying the indulgence.  I think I saw tears in his eyes as he opened his present.  It was priceless to see my husband so happy!!!  (His love language is gifts btw.) 

 Our boys enjoyed the day in pajamas and sharing all their new treasures.  They were angels and even shared with our babysitting friend all day!

Christmas was simple, relaxed, fun, and meaningful.  Just the way it was supposed to be.

A family Sunday photo shoot

 

Here's a picture of me at 26 weeks!

I look more like 40! :-)

We have the hardest time getting the boys to look at the camera now days.  We had to work so hard to get these few photos.   If you know any tricks, let me know.

A walk down memory lane--four years ago

 Just for fun, I was looking through our old photos.  I couldn't help but walk down memory lane.

 

It's so hard to believe that four years ago, it was just Michael and I.   Wow, four years later, we have three children!!!  And we look so much older!!! ;-)

 

Four years ago, Michael had a great group of guys in Texas who held each other accountable, and we were part of an exciting church plant. 

Four years ago, we lived in McKinney, Texas.  Michael had to commute about an hour each way in our vehicles Freezer Burn and Madame Blueberry.  I taught second grade, and I loved it. 
Little did we know that we were on the verge of a new and exciting adventure in Tennessee!

Four years = a lot of change and adventure!!!  

Pirates and Cowboys Oh My!

The boys enjoy playing dress up.  I keep a box of old Halloween costumes and dress up clothes available for them. Today he decided he wanted to be a cowboy and ride his horse around the house. The other day he was a pirate the whole day.   It's nice to always have cowboys, fire fighters, pirates, and dinosaurs at my house.
These are the days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Amazing Joel!

 Newborn Joel

 

Now he's a big boy :-(  

It's so sad how fast they grow.

Construction Zone Party!!!

                                              
This cake was easy and fun to make--my favorite kind!


Saturday was Joel's birthday. We had a little get together with family and friends.  We went with the construction truck theme because Joel loves dirt, digging, and trucks.  He loved it all!!!





                    10 Reasons Why We Love Joel:

• He wakes in the morning requesting cookies
•   He is persistent--He'll ask for something one million times.
•   He loves to give hugs to everyone.
•  He is as tough as nails.
• He loves so passionately.
•   He needs his boo boos kissed even if they are make believe boo boos.  He'll use anything as an excuse for a kiss.
• He loves to joke, "tell" knock knock jokes" and make people laugh.
• He adores his big brother.
•   He is brave and adventurous.
•   He loves to join in and help with everything. 

 

Here's a picture of Clark and his very pregnant mom at the party. 

To Santa or Not????

I have come to terms with the truth: my three year is obsessed with Santa.  I have not pushed it or encouraged it, but he is completely enthralled with the guy in the red suit.   When I ask him the question, "Why do we celebrate Christmas?"  The answer no matter how hard I try is "Santa brings presents."   And I have to admit the magic and fun of Santa is appealing to me as well.  I find it hard to let go of that part of Christmas even with my own personal convictions battling.  We're trying to find a balance. 

In my quest to be the best Godly mom I can be, I want to teach the real meaning of Christmas and have Christ be the number one focus.  I have to admit I am feeling a little overwhelmed with HOW DO I DO THIS.

My quest of the day: Would Jesus let Santa come down his chimney?
Answer: Maybe only if God gets the glory.
Disclaimer: This is going to be a toughie--controversial and an ever changing/reevaluating topic in my house!!! I would love to hear how other Christians balance all this while operating with the premise that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

My Explanation: I want my children to grow up knowing that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17.
Every good gift includes:  presents under a tree, good grades, and a perfect football pass.  I want my Father to be in the spotlight in our home.

So Michael and I have talked about how can we do this.  We have decided this year we will not talk much about Santa, but Santa is invited to come to our house.  The presents will not be based on whether our children were naughty or nice because we know our hope is in undeserved GRACE.  We'll leave cookies for the jolly ole elf, but Santa might only leave one thing for each child.  And before we touch, open, or play with the toys on Christmas morning, we will pray and thank God for giving us all the good and perfect gifts under our tree.  We will make sure that we will give credit where credit is due. 

We will strive to spend our time and energy focusing on Jesus's birthday.  We will focus on Nativity crafts and activities.  We will act out the Nativity story with family and friends.   We will give Jesus gifts every year at Jesus's birthday party.  Our presents will be something dedicated to God like surrendering a bad habit or dedicating ourselves to a new discipline.  We'll write them down on balloons and send them off to heaven. And of course Jesus will get his cake.


I know children are only little for a short time, and I don't want to steal the Christmas magic we all treasure from our own childhoods.  But teaching God's truth and shaping their little hearts is just as short and precious of a time.  I will strive to store up my treasures in heaven by being intentional about eternal things.

I know it's a lot, but I'd love to hear what you do in your family about Santa.

Leaf fun!

 

Joel loves to help with whatever we are doing.  He enjoyed raking leaves.

The boys made a leaf fort in the bushes and played for hours.  They got so dirty and smelly, but we all had a blast.

On a quest....

I am on a quest to be the best parent I can be, and I'd love to be on the quest with you too. I need all the help I can get.  Sometimes,  I drive my husband CRAZY with all my questions and questioning. My friends call me "special".  I will not accept things just because that's how it's always been or everyone else is doing it that way. I have to stop and really think and pray about things.  Lately God has been working hard on my heart to show me that I have a lot of "worldly views" that may or may not be the best thing for MY family.  I have so much to learn and so far to come to be a Godly mom for my kids.

I have a book to thank for some of my latest journeys.  Shepherding a Child's Heart is my very very favorite parenting book of all time.  (I've read quite a bit.)  My mentor, friend, and mother of 12, Olivia, recommended this book to me many years ago.  I've read it numerous times, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

So I've decided to start a series of posts concerning my questions and journey to be the best mom I can be. 

My first topic: Choices and authority
Quest: Is giving my two and three year old children choices the best for them in the long run???
Answer: No but maybe sometimes

After reading and talking to other parents, I am convinced that some parents give their children too much authority in their lives at too young an age.   It is seems harmless while they are little to give them tons of options and choices, but what happens ten years later?   Everything is connected to the future.  It's easy to just live in the present, but I have to ask then what????  What are the spiritual implications?

Well ten years later when hormones kick in and enlightened parenting has taken root, then what.....
Children will begin to operate in the reality they know--they are their own boss.  As parents we are left to fight and plead for authority in their lives.  Some kids even believe that they are their own authority and not subject to their parents, elders, government, or even God's authority.

I think the best way to teach Clark and Joel to be good decision makers is to make good decisions for them.  Through Daddy and Mommy's example and teaching, I pray our children will learn sound judgement.  I will carefully consider the choices I let them make and the future outcomes as I let go of my God given parental authority.  As they grow older, we will slowly turn over authority and decision making power to them. 
 


"Teach your children that God loves them so much that he gave them parents to be kind authorities to teach and lead them." (Page 33)

Living in a Wonderful World....

I know we are living in a fallen, broken world, and I have to admit that I'm often focused on the negative: government, money issues, litter, mean drivers, my own problems.....

But lately, I've seen a different side of the world--a side where people give and love and help. 

Today at Wal-Mart, an older man came up to Clark and me.  At the end of the conversation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a half dollar and gave it to Clark.  Clark was so thrilled.  He immediately told the man that he was going to rush home to show his daddy his new treasure.  A huge smile came across the man's face, and he was gone.

The other day at the park, a complete stranger came up to me and said she wanted to give me a ton of boys' clothes that her son out grew.  I at first couldn't comprehend the situation, but she ended up giving me car full of great clothes, toys, games, and books!!!  All for free and with no string attached.

My neighbors constantly bring over their amazing leftovers that they don't eat.  We humbly and excitedly accept and enjoy all their delicious cooking.

And the list goes on and on and on.....

I feel so humbled by these people's acts of kindness on my family.  I can't wrap my brain around the question, "why me?".    I don't deserve this kindness, and I feel like I could never give back as much as I have been given. 

My conclusion...
I will praise God for meeting me where I need Him through these willing vessels called my neighbors, strangers, and friends.

We do live in a wonderful world because God is here in our midst working through the person next to you and working through You to bring blessing and hope and a maybe just a smile to someone's face.

 "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28)

Glorious fall fun at the pumpkin patch

We tried out the River Maze Pumpkin Patch near Cleveland today!  We found ourselves entertained by all the fun activities there--animals, games, mazes, rides, pumpkins, and more!

Clark and Joel loved climbing on the cow train as we waited to pay for admission.

Joel really picked the right cow for him. 

Our first activity was walking/running the soybean maze.  They had a corn maze too, but the soybean maze was just the right size for our kiddos.  There were ten stations with fun facts and stickers in the maze.  So by the time we were done, our kids were covered with stickers!

We ALL rode the cow train.  The boys had a blast bumping around on the farm.

During the tractor pulled hayride, we stopped at a real, live pumpkin patch.  The boys each picked out a pumpkin.  Clark picked a big one, and Joel picked a little bitty one.  Joel held that thing like it was treasure.  He even fell asleep holding it on the way home. 

I have such a hard time taking good pictures of Clark, but today I GOT ONE!!! 

 

We really enjoyed River Maze.

Boys, Dirt, and Fun!!

My boys love playing in dirt! 

Here's Joel covered in filth after playing.

Here's my bad boy throwing dirt at me!  I love my playful Clark.

I had to beg Clark to take his picture. I told him Grandma wanted him to smile for her. That worked!! Thanks Grandma!

Okay I had to throw this picture in from this weekend.  We continued our flooring project which lead to ripping out sheet rock and subflooring because of an old water leak.  A project is never what you expect.

A Trip to the Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch Park

Today was a perfect fall day for a field trip with friends to the apple orchard!  We saw a few apples still on the trees, and we got to get fresh apples and cider from the orchard.  Clark was proud of himself for finding an apple on the ground! 

Clark also made a new best friend that he held hands with a lot of the time.

Here we are inside the apple store.  I had some delicious hot cider that made it all worth it!!

Afterwards, we all headed to the Pumpkin Patch Park and played.  We had a picnic lunch and headed home.  Everyone fell asleep in the car on the way home.  It was a great playdate.

I Have a Middle Child? EEK!!

Our sweet Joel will be a big brother in March!!  I can't believe my baby will be the " middle child". 

 I'm sure if anyone can fend for his own, it's Joel. 

I actually think he'll have some adjustment problems when the baby arrives. 

I'll let you know once we are there. :-)

This is what he did when we told him he was going to be a big brother.  JUST KIDDING! 

No this is him posing for the camera.  This is his bad boy pose. 

I'd post more pictures of Clark, but he runs and hids when I get out the camera.   So you'll just have to look at Joel until Clark gets over this phase.

And about the next baby...we're due on March 25.  So I'm 15 weeks this week.  I was sicker than I have ever been with this pregnancy.  Everything has been so different.  I felt like I lived on the couch for 8-10 weeks.  I'm feeling much better, and I'm glad to be able to clean my house and play with my kids again.   I'm a little nervous about baby three, but I've been practicing with my little guy I nanny.   Three is going to be a CHARM.  I'll find out at the end of October if the baby is a boy or girl. 

 And yes my belly is growing like crazy. 

My Dream Came True. The Green Carpet Is Gone.

In 1990s,  green carpet was probably hip and cool. 

But twenty years later, it is NOT.  It's dark, dirty, and hard to decorate around. 

I had to vacuum two or three times a day to make my house look clean. 

Here's Joel with our green carpet.  We called our living the "dark dungeon".

Last weekend, my dream came true--no green carpet.  We ripped it all up, and there was so much light in the room.   

Joel and Daddy worked hard on getting the floor ready.

Joel loved the loud noises and banging on things.

Clark didn't.  He ran away screaming in terror every time we made loud noises.  This project was pretty traumatic for Clark.  Not only did he hate the noise, he also fell through the floor and went into the basement.  He got all scratched up and itchy from the insulation.

Here's Michael nailing in the hardwood flooring.  Everyone knows we are on a budget.  So the story behind how we did this is pretty cool.  Michael bought a RC truck from a garage sale for $25, but it didn't work.   Bummer, right?  So he took it to a repair shop. The employee stole it and quit. Bummer, right again?  Well, the store bought us a new truck.  We sold that truck on Craigslist.com and bought the flooring with all the money!!!! And a friend let us use his tools!!!  God is so good and works in very creative ways to provide for His children.

Here's  our list of must haves for home improvement with little kids:

lots of yummy food and snacks

good videos

patience

EAR PLUGS for EVERYONE

Our new and updated living room!!!!  It's so light and bright and cheery!!! 

And I don't have to vacuum all day long!!!  We all love it!!!! 

Monkey See, Monkey Doo

My boys are the best of friends these days.  They have so much fun together.  I'm cherishing that because I know it will not always be that way.  Of course Joel wants to be just like his big brother.  Lately, Joel has really really wanted to go "poo poo on the potty".  He throws the biggest fit if I don't let him try.   He is no where ready to start potty training (21 months), but he has gone several times in the potty. 

This picture made me laugh, and I hope it brings a little smile to your face too.  

And of course I'll have it blown up for their 16th birthday parties. ;-) 

Cookie Jar

Our new favorite place is officially the Cookie Jar.  It's a restaurant, dairy, farm, and playground in a nearby town.  The front porch that faces the mountain range is lined with rocking chairs.  The boys immediately found rockers just their size. 

The food is good home cooking like chicken livers (YUM), fried catfish, and big slices of homemade pies and cakes.

Clark entertained himself by licking salt off his napkin.

This picture captures Joel in his truest form--a hard headed clown. 

He is something else, but we love  him.

 He brings so much entertainment to our lives.

After eating, we toured the farm and play area.  There were little playhouses along the path. 

Goats, cows, bunnies, ducks, chickens, a pony, and a donkey were some of the animals we met along the way.

At the end of the path, there was a huge wooden play fort and swing set.  Michael and I sat in the wooden swing and watched our boys.

Here's the view from our swing.

We let Clark take a picture of us which might have been his favorite part.  He got really excited to take pictures.  I think he took 10 or so in just a few seconds.